Featured Speakers
of the 2026
Third Line Summit
Our panelists and moderators represent a diverse group of leaders across science, medicine, policy, business, media, and culture, united by a shared commitment to exploring the forces shaping our health and turning conversation into meaningful action.
Featured Speakers of the 2026 The Third Line Summit
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Featured Speakers of the 2026 The Third Line Summit —
Kristin Rae Cecchi
Host
Ascension Founder & CEO of The Third Line Project
Kristin Rae Cecchi is a philanthropist, brain health advocate, City Tavern co-owner, and founder of the Ascension Mind-Body Summit. Personally affected by dementia within her own family, she is a dedicated advocate for brain health and serves on the Board of Overseers for the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF).
Through Ascension and The Third Line, Kristin curates transformative experiences that bring together colleagues, friends, change-makers, and leaders across science, innovation, and wellness—cutting through the noise to explore what it truly means to create lasting health of mind, body, and spirit.
Dr. Rafid Fadul
Panelist
Chief Medical Officer of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
Dr. Rafid Fadul is the inaugural Chief Medical Officer of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), where he helps advance ambitious healthcare innovations with the potential to transform how disease is prevented, diagnosed, and treated.
A physician, entrepreneur, and healthcare technology leader, Dr. Fadul brings experience spanning clinical medicine, therapeutics, medical devices, and digital health. Prior to joining ARPA-H in 2026, he co-founded and led Zivian Health, developing healthcare software platforms designed to support providers across regulatory compliance, clinical workflows, and data interoperability.
Dr. Fadul is board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and critical care medicine. He earned his M.D. from The George Washington University and his MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
Anousheh Ansari
Panelist
CEO of the X Prize Foundation
Anousheh Ansari is a visionary entrepreneur, global technology leader, and CEO of XPRIZE, where she leads efforts to accelerate breakthrough solutions to some of humanity’s greatest challenges across health, climate, technology, and beyond. A serial entrepreneur and passionate advocate for innovation, Ansari made history in 2006 as the first female private space explorer and the first astronaut of Iranian descent. She and her family were also title sponsors of the landmark Ansari XPRIZE, which helped catalyze a new era of commercial spaceflight. Throughout her career, Ansari has championed bold ideas, entrepreneurship, and the power of technology and human ingenuity to create a healthier, more abundant future.
Chef-Owner of Ama Restaurant; Culinary
Director of the Eudēmonia Summit; Director of Geriatric Medicine
New York- Presbyterian Healthcare System
Johanna Hellrigl
Panelist
Johanna Hellrigl is a chef, restaurateur, and food-systems advocate working at the intersection of food, health, sustainability, and hospitality. She is the chef-owner of Ama, an award-winning Northern Italian restaurant in Washington, D.C., and Culinary Director of the Eudēmonia Summit.
A 2026 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic semifinalist, Hellrigl is also a Board Member of the Environmental Working Group and works with organizations including World Central Kitchen, Eat Real Certified, and the Plastic Pollution Coalition. Her advocacy explores how sourcing, agriculture, environmental health, and the materials that touch our food impact human health. Through her restaurants, consulting, and public advocacy, she is helping reimagine hospitality as a catalyst for a healthier, more sustainable food system.
Oliver English
Panelist
ARPA-H Program Manager, Health Science Futures
Oliver English is a filmmaker, chef, entrepreneur, and food-systems advocate working at the intersection of storytelling, agriculture, nutrition, and sustainability. He is CEO and Co-Founder of Common Table Creative, an impact-driven production and hospitality company focused on reshaping how we understand food and the people behind it.
English co-directed and produced Feeding Tomorrow, an award-winning documentary exploring the farmers, scientists, and innovators transforming the future of food and agriculture. A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, he has worked alongside leading chefs and hospitality organizations around the world and has visited more than 100 farms to better understand the global food system. A TEDx speaker and frequent voice at global food and climate forums, English uses storytelling to connect agriculture, human health, climate resilience, and the future of food.